What is Nail Buffing

Nail buffer is also called as Nail smoother. We all know how important it is for females to maintain their nails, nail shape, and hygiene. They stand as an image of any girl. Some might ignore the nail care.

We all know that our fingernails are soft, subtle but important part of the impression you leave with others.

When you make a move, introduce yourself to someone new, when you shake a person's hand, borrow a pen or text a friend, it is possible that someone is probably going to notice your hands and nails.

So whether you prefer manicured, polished nails or opt for a more natural look, you might want to consider buffing as part of your nail care routine.

Taking care of nails, Buffing, a nail care technique that involves rubbing lightly against the nail with a buffing board or cream, can make your nails shine and smooth out any uneven ridges in them.

Some buffing treatments can provide health benefits to your nails, including stimulating blood circulation for healthy nail growth. But how often does it need to be done to keep your nails looking their best?

In fact there are a few factors to keep in mind as you're deciding when to buff your fingernails. First off, buffing too often or too vigorously can thin and weaken your nails.

Therefore, you probably should buff your nails only about once a month. If your nails do not have ridges, or you use a colored nail polish and don't need to shine your nails, you can consider allowing a longer time between buff.

In accumulation the average person's nails grow at a rate of 0.08 to 0.12 inches per month. Given this rate, it can take three to six months for your nails to grow from cuticle to tip This is why it's important to gently buff your nails only when needed so that the same spot doesn't get buffed too much in this case, less really is more.

File your nails in a shape that you want round, square or whatever suits you.

Get a nail buffer, this can either be an emery board or a buffing board, and will have different textures on the sides.

Using the roughest side of the buffer, buff your nails gently, moving the buffer from side-to-side.

Using grade 1 buffer start buffing each nail one by one in same direction. Use fluid linear motion and make sure to cover the edges of the nails as well. Do not use more than 4-5 strokes for each nail. This will take care of any ridges on the nails.

If you already have nail polish, remove it with acetone or nail polish remover. Use a soft cotton cloth to wipe your nails.

Now move onto the second grade which is suited to smooth out smaller ridges and give shine to the surface. Again start buffing each nail one by one in the same direction.

You could use fluid linear motion like you did previously for grade 1 or use small circular motion making sure to avoid any sawing motion. Do not use more than 7-8 strokes for each nail.

Finally use the third grade in gentle superficial motions to shine your nails. This is the smoothest part of the nail buffer and you can use up to 12 strokes.

Clean using a soft cotton cloth and see the shine to believe it. The first time you do it you will be amazed at how smooth your nails are and they shine like crazy. I always like to finish it off with my oriflame White Tip Pencil under the nails to convert it into a French Manicure without any polish.

Try and remove the roughness from your nails first.

Take a soft cotton cloth to wipe off the extracts

Now take the texture that’s a little less rough and repeat the steps in a gentle, side-to-side motion.

Take the smoothest part of the buffer and buff your nails until they look shiny as if you’ve applied a clear coat.

Wipe off your nails with the cotton cloth

Results of Buffing:-

Flat, level or smooth out ridges on the surface of nails which indirectly makes your nail polish adhere better.

Even out jagged edges.

Helps you get rid of dry and dead surface skin making your nails smoother.

Stimulates blood circulation to the nail bed which encourages the nails to grow faster and contribute to the general health of the nails.

It leaves your nails smooth and shiny so much so that you can skip polish all together and go for glossy natural nails without the baggage of clear polish. And the best part is the shine stays for up to a week at least without chipping!!!

What Buffing Doesn’t Do:-

Doesn’t involve shaping process. It won’t shape your nails. Nail buffers are way too soft for that. Use an emery board or a nail filer instead.

It won’t magically vanish nail surface stains in 1 go or for that matter even 2 or 3.Continued usage will yield results but by the time you do that your nails will grow which means you won’t require it anyway.

Some people tend to think that buffing will make their nails pink and in the process buff more vigorously. This is absolutely not true. Buffing does help increase blood flow to the nail bed which might give the appearance of pinker nails, but it cannot change the color of the nails by itself. Nail is transparent remember?

Buffing cannot remove or soften nail cuticles. Cuticles are the fleshy part that extends from the nail bed on your nails. You can use a cuticle cream to soften and push it back.

Things to Take Care while Buffing:-

Go for a manicure before buffing. Make sure your nails are dry and clean before starting. Wet nails are more prone to breakage and damage.

Do not buff your nails more than once a month. Continued buffing will result in brittle and dry nails.

Use gentle, light unidirectional strokes and never use back and forth strokes. Never use a sawing motion. It will do more harm than benefit.

Stop immediately if you experience any burning sensation, redness or if your nails become hot. This means you have used vigorous strokes and might be harming your nails.

Sit in a comfortable position. Sit on a straight chair and place your hands on a table. The position in which you sit makes a lot of difference.

Never use an emery board or filer to buff your nails. Use a fine grained buffer. You should just barely be able to make out the grains on the buffer when you touch it.